System and method for adaptive media bundling for voice over internet protocol applications

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for adaptively bundling media frames in a data packet for transmission in a wireless data network. When a wireless device is ready to transmit an audio communication, a message is sent from the wireless device to a communication server that checks for network usage conditions and adaptively determines a bundling factor for the audio communication. The bundling factor is transmitted to the wireless device, and the wireless device bundles media frames into a data packet according to the bundling factor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to wireless telecommunications,and more specifically, relates to a system and method for adaptivelyincreasing the efficiency of audio data transmission over acommunication network.

2. Description of the Related Art

Technology advancement has made mobile telephones or wirelesscommunications devices inexpensive and accordingly ubiquitous. Aswireless telecommunication devices are manufactured with greaterprocessing ability and storage, they also become more versatile andincorporate many features including direct radio communicationcapability between two or a group of individual handsets. This directradio communication capability is commonly known as the push-to-talk(PTT) or “walkie-talkie” feature that allows a user with one handset tocommunicate with the device of a predefined set of members of a groupwithout dialing a destination telephone number.

In one version of a PTT system, a wireless telecommunication device,such as a handset, uses one single frequency for both upward anddownward communications with a remote PTT server, while in a normalwireless communication a wireless telephone uses two frequencies forcommunicating with the PTT server, one for outgoing and one for incomingcommunications. The PTT system requires the person who is speaking topress a PTT button while talking and then release it when done. Anylistener in the group can then press their button to respond. In thismanner, the system determines which direction the signal travels. In atypical configuration, when a user makes a call to a receiving party ora group of receiving parties using the PTT system, the user's handsetfirst makes a request to a remote server by informing the server it isready to transmit. The remote PTT server verifies that no other party isusing the communication channel and the channel is available thenassigns the channel to the user. The user's message is received by theserver and the server sends the message for each and every receivingparty. After the message is transmitted to every receiving party, thechannel is released and ready for use by other parties.

During the process described above, the audio from one user is sampledand digitized by a device, such as vocoder, at the handset. Thedigitized data is then assembled into frames and the frames are packedinto data packets and transmitted over the air to the server. The serverreceives the data packets and sends them to their destinations. At theirdestination, the digitized data are extracted from the data packets,reassembled into audio streams, and played to the receiving party. Ineach data packet there may be one or more frames. Usually, the number offrames is set by the network standards or network service providers, andis independent of network conditions.

The network efficiency is increased when more frames are packed into asingle data packet, and the efficiency is at its lowest when there isonly one frame per data packet. However, incrementing the number of theframes per data packet also increases the delay at the user's handset.The handset has to wait for audio data from the user, assemble the audiodata into multiple frames, and pack the multiple frames into one datapacket before transmitting the data packet to the server.

Therefore, it is desirous to have an apparatus and method that enables aserver to adaptively bundle different number of frames into a singledata packet, such that the network efficiency is increased and it is tosuch apparatus and method the present invention is primarily directed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly described, the invention is the apparatus and method thatadaptively bundles media frames in a data packet for transmission in adata network. When a wireless device is ready to transmit an audiocommunication, a message is sent from the wireless device to acommunication server. The communication server then checks for networkusage conditions and adaptively determines a bundling factor for theaudio communication. The bundling factor is transmitted to the wirelessdevice, and the wireless device bundles media frames into a data packetaccording to the bundling factor.

In one embodiment, the method determines a media bundling factor foradaptively bundling media frames in a data packet transmitted between acommunication server and a user device during a communication in a datacommunication network. The method includes the steps of receiving at thecommunication server an audio transmission request from the user device,checking at least one network usage parameter from the datacommunication network, determining a media bundling factor thatspecifies the number of media frames bundled in one data packetaccording to the at least one network usage parameter, and transmittingfrom the communication server the media bundling factor along with acontrol message to the user device, wherein the user device adaptivelybundles media frames according to the media bundling factor.

In another embodiment, the method determines a media bundling factor foradaptively bundling media frames in a data packet transmitted between acommunication server and a user device during a communication in a datacommunication network. The method includes the steps of transmittingfrom the user device an audio transmission request to the communicationserver, receiving at the user device a media bundling factor along witha control message from the communication server, and checking a userdevice factor to select an actual bundling factor. The actual bundlingfactor specifies the number of media frames bundled in one data packetand the user device factor has at least a true state and a false state.If the user device factor is true, then the media bundling factor isused as the actual bundling factor; if the user device factor is false,then a predefined bundling factor is used as the actual bundling factor.The method further includes the steps of bundling media frames into adata packet according to the actual bundling factor, and transmittingthe data packet with the bundled media frames from the user device tothe communication server.

In yet another embodiment, the user device is capable of communicatingwith a remote communication server through a wireless network. When theuser device is ready to transmit an audio communication to thecommunication server, the user device checks at least one internalfactor, determines a media bundling factor for adaptively bundling mediaframes of the audio communication into a data packet transmitted betweenthe user device and the communication server, and bundles the mediaframes into a data packet according to the media bundling factor.

In yet another embodiment, a communication server is provided as capableof determining a media bundling factor for adaptively bundling mediaframes in a data packet transmitted between the communication server anda user device during a communication in a data communication network.The server, upon receiving an audio transmission request from the userdevice, checks at least one network usage parameter from the datacommunication network, determines a media bundling factor according tothe at least one network usage parameter, wherein the media bundlingfactor specifies the number of the media frames in one data packet, andtransmits the media bundling factor along with a control message to theuser device such that the user device can adaptively bundle media framesaccording to the media bundling factor.

In yet another embodiment, the user device is capable of determining amedia bundling factor for adaptively bundling media frames in a datapacket transmitted between the user device and a communication serverduring a communication in a data communication network. The user device,when ready to transmit an audio transmission to the communicationserver, transmits from the user device an audio transmission request tothe communication server, receives at the user device a media bundlingfactor along with a control message from the communication server,checks a user device factor to select an actual bundling factor. Theactual bundling factor specifies the number of media frames bundled inone data packet, and the user device factor has at least a true stateand a false state. If the user device factor is true, the media bundlingfactor is used as the actual bundling factor; if the user device factoris false, a predefined bundling factor is used as the actual bundlingfactor. The user device further bundles media frames into a data packetaccording to the actual bundling factor, and transmits the data packetwith the bundled media frames from the user device to the communicationserver.

The present system and methods are therefore advantageous as they enablea wireless communication device to efficiently transmit data packets toa server during a PTT communication. Other advantages and features ofthe present invention will become apparent after review of thehereinafter set forth Brief Description of the Drawings, DetailedDescription of the Invention, and the Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a prior art communication network.

FIG. 2 is a simplified prior art communication diagram between a serverand a wireless devices.

FIG. 3 is a prior art data packet with a single frame.

FIG. 4 is a prior art data packet with multiple frames.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a serverprocess for determining a bundling factor.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a userdevice process for determining a bundling factor.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a serverforwarding an incoming audio message to a plurality of target users.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this description, the terms “communication device,” “wirelessdevice,” “user device,” “PTT communication device,” “handheld device,”and “handset” are used interchangeably are used interchangeably. As usedherein, the term “exemplary” only indicates that what is described in anexample, and in no way is intended to indicate preference or otherwiselimit the invention to the embodiment described. Further, like numeralsrefer to like elements throughout the several views, and the articles“a” and “the” includes plural references, unless otherwise specified inthe description.

In overview, the apparatus and method adaptively bundle media frames ina data packet for transmission over a data network. When a wirelessdevice is ready to transmit an audio communication, a message is sentfrom the wireless device to a communication server. The communicationserver then checks for network usage conditions and adaptivelydetermines a bundling factor for the audio communication. The bundlingfactor is transmitted to the wireless device, and the wireless devicebundles media frames into a data packet according to the bundlingfactor. FIG. 1 depicts a prior art communication network 100. Thecommunication network 100 includes one or more communication towers 106,each connected to a base station (BS) 110 and serving users withcommunication device 102 (also referred to herein interchangeably as awireless device, user device, wireless user device, user wirelessdevice, and wireless communication device). The communication device 102can be cellular telephones, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs),laptop computers, or other hand-held, stationary, or portablecommunication devices that support push-to-talk (PTT) communications.The commands and data input by each user are transmitted as digital datato a communication tower 106. The communication between a user using acommunication device 102 and the communication tower 106 can be based ondifferent technologies, such code division multiple access (CDMA), timedivision multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access(FDMA), the global system for mobile communications (GSM), or otherprotocols that may be used in a wireless communications network or adata communications network.

The PTT communications are digitized and placed into frames. The framesare transmitted through data packets over the communication network 100.The wireless communication device 102 sends and receives audio datapackets on an assigned communication channel and control data are sentand received through a data channel. The data packets from each deviceis sent from the communication tower 106 to a base station (BS) 110, andforwarded to a mobile switching center (MSC) 114, which may be connectedto a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 118 and the Internet 120.The MSC 114 may be connected to a server 116 that supports the PTTfeature in the communications network 100. Optionally, the server 116may be part of the MSC 114. The server 116 may also suppresstransmission of PTT communication to a particular wireless device uponrequest from that device. The data packets are forwarded by the server116 to the receiving wireless device 102 where an audio stream will beconstructed based on the data in the data packets. In an alternativeembodiment (not shown), the MSC 114 may not be needed in a data-onlynetwork. The data packets are sent by the BS 110 to a packet dataserving node and/or other servers for processing. The data packets aretransmitted between the wireless device 102 and the BS 106 according toa predefined protocol such as Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP),TCP/IP, user datagram protocol (UDP)/IP, or other suitable protocols.

An originating wireless device 102, when ready to engage in a PTTcommunication, sends a call message through the base station 110 to theserver 116. The server 116 sends an announce message to the base station110. The announce message is queued at the base station 110 until thetargeted wireless device 102 is located. The base station 110 uses apage message to locate the targeted wireless device 102. After receivinga response from the targeted wireless device 102, the base station 110delivers the announce message to the targeted wireless device 102. Thetargeted wireless device 102 acknowledges the announce message, and thisacknowledgement message is forwarded by the base station 110 to theserver 116. After confirming the targeted wireless device 102 isavailable, the server 116 sends a status message to the originatingwireless device 102. The originating wireless device 102 can then startto transmit the PTT communication.

FIG. 2 is a simplified prior art diagram 200 representing interactionsbetween the server (also known as group communication server) 116 andwireless devices 102, 206, 208 during a PTT communication process. Thebase stations 110 are omitted from FIG. 2. A communication does notoccur between an initiating wireless device 102 and a server 116 until auser activates a PTT button. After the user activates the PTT feature,the wireless device 102 sends a message to the server 116 indicating itis ready to transmit a PTT message. Upon receiving the message from thewireless device 102, the server 116 determines the target wirelessdevices 206, 208 to which the PTT communication is directed and pagesthe wireless devices 206, 208.

The PTT communication from the wireless device 102 to the server 116, isbroadcasted to the target wireless device 206, 208 and digitized by avocoder and put in frames. A PTT communication may be put into one frameor split into multiple frames. Frames are put into data packets and sentto its destination. FIG. 3 illustrates a prior art data packet 300. Thedata packet 300 has generally three parts: header 302, body (payload)304, and trailer 306. The packet header 302 usually includes a startflag or a set of framing bits, control information (frame numbers), andaddress information. The payload 304 includes frames with the data beingtransported. The trailer 306 includes data bits used to error detectionand correction and an end flag.

When a data packet is transported through a network, its header andtrailer are processed by each server along its path. The networkefficiency is increased when more frames are placed into a single datapacket as shown in FIG. 4. The prior art data packet 400 includes oneheader 402, multiple frames 404, and one trailer 406. Because more dataare transported through the multiple frames 404 while the size of theheader 402 and trailer 406 remain fairly constant, the data transferrate is increased.

However, the increase of the number of frames per data packet alsoincrease the latency of data transfer since a data packet will not besent until multiple frames of data are assembled. The processing of dataand packaging multiple frames causes a delay that might be noticeable tousers.

There is provided a method to dynamically set a bundling factor forbundling frames into a data packet. The bundling factor is set accordingto network conditions and usage. The bundling factor is generally set bythe server 116 after considering many different factors, such as thenumber of active users on line, the current network load, etc. Thebundling factor is communicated to the user wireless device 102 and theuser wireless device 102 then bundles frames into a data packetaccording to the bundling factor. Alternatively, the user wirelessdevice 102 may override the bundling factor received from the server 116with its own internal bundling factor if certain conditions are met.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a server process 500. The server 116receives a call request message from a user wireless device 102, step502, after the user activates a PTT button. The server 116 identifiesthe requesting device, step 504, and checks whether a communicationchannel is available, step 506. If a communication channel is notavailable, the server 116 sends a denial message to the user wirelessdevice 102, step 508. If the communication channel is available, theserver 116 proceeds to check network usage factors, step 510. Thenetwork usage factor can include, as way of example and not limited to,traffic volume, time of day, number of users in one region, and measuredpacket delay variation of the media stream. The network usage factor canbe received from a network traffic server, such as a MSC 114 or anetwork switch (not shown), or otherwise received by the server 116. Theserver 116 also checks the user profile, step 512, and server factors,step 514. The user profile can determine the quality of service to whichthe user has subscribed, or that has been assigned to the particularcall. If the user is a fireman or a police officer, the bundling factormay be set low, so a higher quality of service can be delivered to theemergency communication. The quality of service may be affected by thebundling of data packets. The server factors can include, as way ofexample and not limited to, the number of registered users on line, thenumber of active users on the PTT communication, traffic volume on theserver, and whether the call is an initial or subsequent talk segmentfor a given call. When the call is the initial talk segment between theparties, there is a delay to set up a communication channel for thecommunication. Therefore, the bundling factor should be set low tominimize additional delay caused by sampling and digitizing of the audiocommunication. For the subsequent talk segments, the communicationchannel has already been set up; therefore, the bundling factors can beset higher and additional delay may not be noticeable to the users.

After checking the network usage factors, user profile, and serverfactors, the server 116 determines a bundling factor for thecommunication, step 516, and sends the bundling factor to the requestingwireless user device 102, step 518. The bundling factor may be sent witha channel message or other control messages to the requesting wirelessuser device 102. The server 116 may also opt for not sending anybundling factor to the user device 102 if there is no overridingcondition and the user device 102 can continue to send data packets asit did before.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart for a user device process 600. After a useractivates the PTT button, the originating wireless device (user device)102 sends a call request message, step 602, through wirelesscommunication to the server 116 and awaits for a control message fromthe server 116, step 604. The control message may be a channel grantmessage or any other control messages sent from the server 116 to theuser device 102. If the control message is not received from the server116 within a predefined period, a time out will occur and an errorcondition is generated, step 608. After the control message is received,the user device 102 checks whether it includes a bundling factor, step610. If the control message does not include any bundling factor, theuser device 102 uses its default bundling factor, step 620, and bundlesthe frames into data packets according to the bundling factor, step 624.The default bundling factor may be one or any number that was setpreviously.

If a new bundling factor is included in the control message, the userdevice 102 checks whether it is different from the default bundlingfactor, step 612. If the received bundling factor is the same as thedefault bundling factor, then the default bundling factor is used, step620. If the received bundling factor is different from the defaultbundling factor, the user device 102 checks its internal bundlingfactor, step 614. The user device 102 may have an internal bundlingfactor that is set according to the user device's unique internaloperating condition. The user device 102 then checks whether theinternal bundling factor should override the received bundling factor,step 616. The user device 102 may consider many factors, such as itscomputing power and memory size, in deciding whether to override thereceived bundling factor.

If the user device's internal operating condition justifies, the userdevice 102 will use its internal bundling factor in lieu of the receivedbundling factor, step 618, as the actual bundling factor to bundle theframes into data packets, step 624. If the user device internaloperating condition is not present, then the user device 102 uses thenew bundling factor received from the server 116, step 622, as theactual bundling factor to bundling the frames into data packets, step624.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart for a server process 700 that forwardsaudio messages received from a user device 102 to a plurality of targetuser devices 102. The server 116 receives an audio message (data packetsrelating to an audio message), step 702, and identifies the targetedusers, step 704. After identifying the targeted users, the server 116checks the profiles of each targeted user to learn the special bundlingfactor for the user, step 706. Each user may set a special bundlingfactor according to the properties and characteristics of his userdevice or his preference. Each user may have a user device that hasdifferent bundling requirements/capabilities when transmitting andreceiving media files. The server 116 then check if the special bundlingfactor is different from what has been used for the received datapacket, step 708. If the special bundling factor is the same as the oneused for the incoming data packet, the server 116 forwards the datapacket to the user, step 710. If the special bundling factor isdifferent from the one used for the incoming data packet, then theserver 116 retrieves the frames from the incoming data packets andre-bundles the frames into new data packets according to the specialbundling factor for the user, step 712. The server 116 is capable offorwarding the incoming data packets to their multiple destinations withdifferent a bundling factor for each destination.

The ability for the server 116 to independently bundle a received datapacket with different bundling factors depending on the destinations ofthe received data packet is important because this allows the server 116to bridge networks that treat media data differently. The ability for amedia server to adaptively bundle media frames into data packets is animportant enabling capability for certain interoperability use cases.

The following is a use scenario description. When a user wants tocommunicate with members of his PTT communication group, he presses aPTT button on his user device and a call request message is sent fromhis user device to a PTT communication server. The PTT server receivesthe call request message and verifies that a channel is available forthe user device. Before granting the “floor” to the user device, the PTTserver checks the user profile to learn whether the user has subscribedto a high quality PTT communication. The PTT server also checks whetherthe message is for an initial talk segment. If the request is an initialtalk segment, the PTT server needs to set up a communication channelbetween the user and other receiving members. The PTT server furtherchecks how many active members are being served by the PTT server andthe current condition of the network traffic volume. After checking allthe pertinent factors, the PTT server sets a low bundling factor for thecommunication since the request is for an initial talk segment and thetraffic volume is relatively low. The bundling factor is then sent tothe requesting user device 102 along with a control message.

The user device 102 receives the control message and checks whetherthere is any bundling factor attached. After retrieving the bundlingfactor from the control message, the user device 102 checks its owninternal bundling factor and the default bundling factor. Alternatively,the default bundling factor may be a bundling factor used in the lastcommunication. After checking its operating condition, the user device102 decides not to override the received bundling factor and uses it tobundle the frames with digitized audio data into the data packets. Forsubsequent audio transmissions, the server may set the bundling factorto a higher value if the network traffic volume increases or the serverloads increase. When the bundling factor is higher, there will be morepayload data transferred per header.

In an alternative embodiment, the user device 102 can send a messagewith a preferred bundling factor to the server 116, wherein thepreferred bundling factor will be used with communications involving theuser device 102. This allows the user device 102 to set the preferredbundling factor at the server 116. This preferred bundling factor may bestored in the user profile, which is checked by the server 116 beforedetermining a bundling factor for the communication that involves theuser device 102. The preferred bundling factor may be determined by thephysical characteristics of the user device 102.

In yet another alternative embodiment, the user device 102 may set abundling factor by checking its internal information without anysuggestion or influence from the network or from the server 116. Theuser device 102 may check a user preference or user profile stored inthe user device 102. The user device 102 may also select the bundlingfactor based on a call priority assigned to the call. The ability foreach user device 102 to set up its own bundling factor independent fromany input from a server enables direct, end-to-end communicationsbetween two user devices.

Although the description above is based on the wireless transmission ofa PTT communication, the invention is equally applicable non-PTTcommunications, such as data transfer between two computing devices 122and 124 illustrated in FIG. 1. The two computing devices 122 and 124 maybe maintaining an audio communication over the Internet (VoIPapplications). The bundling factor may be set by a network server takingin consideration the traffic volume and other factors of the datacommunication network 120 connecting the two computing devices 122 and124. Alternatively, two computing devices 122 and 124 may be able todetermine the bundling factor as described above, thus allowing a directcommunication, without assistance of a server, between the two computingdevices 122 and 124.

In view of the method being executable on a wireless service provider'scomputer device or a wireless communications device, the method can beperformed by a program resident in a computer readable medium, where theprogram directs a server or other computer device having a computerplatform to perform the steps of the method. The computer readablemedium can be the memory of the server, or can be in a connectivedatabase. Further, the computer readable medium can be in a secondarystorage media that is loadable onto a wireless communications devicecomputer platform, such as a magnetic disk or tape, optical disk, harddisk, flash memory, or other storage media as is known in the art.

In the context of FIGS. 5-7, the steps illustrated do not require orimply any particular order of actions. The actions may be executed insequence or in parallel. The method may be implemented, for example, byoperating portion(s) of the wireless network, such as a wirelesscommunications device or the server, to execute a sequence ofmachine-readable instructions. The instructions can reside in varioustypes of signal-bearing or data storage primary, secondary, or tertiarymedia. The media may comprise, for example, RAM (not shown) accessibleby, or residing within, the components of the wireless network. Whethercontained in RAM, a diskette, or other secondary storage media, theinstructions may be stored on a variety of machine-readable data storagemedia, such as DASD storage (e.g., a conventional “hard drive” or a RAIDarray), magnetic tape, electronic read-only memory (e.g., ROM, EPROM, orEEPROM), flash memory cards, an optical storage device (e.g. CD-ROM,WORM, DVD, digital optical tape), paper “punch” cards, or other suitabledata storage media including digital and analog transmission media.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention as set forth in the following claims. Furthermore, althoughelements of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular,the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular isexplicitly stated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for determining a media bundling factorfor adaptively bundling media frames in a data packet transmittedbetween a communication server and a user device during a communicationin a data communication network, comprising: receiving, via a datachannel, at the communication server, an audio transmission request fromthe user device; checking at least one network usage parameter from thedata communication network, wherein the at least one network usageparameter comprises a measured packet delay variation of data packetstransmitted between the communication server and the user device;checking a user profile of the user device for a user device-specificbundling factor corresponding to a user device factor that defines aninternal operating condition or a user-specific characteristiccorresponding to the user device, wherein the user device-specificbundling factor is respectively set according to the internal operatingcondition or the user-specific characteristic corresponding to the userdevice; determining a media bundling factor for a communication channelaccording to the at least one network usage parameter when there is nouser device-specific bundling factor or according to the userdevice-specific bundling factor, wherein the media bundling factorspecifies a number of media frames bundled in one data packet; andtransmitting from the communication server on the data channel, themedia bundling factor for the communication channel along with a controlmessage to the user device, wherein the user device adaptively bundlesmedia frames for the communication channel according to the mediabundling factor.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least onenetwork usage parameter further comprises a total number of usersregistered with the communication server for the communication.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the at least one network usage parameterfurther comprises a number of active participants in the communication.4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one network usageparameter further comprises system usage.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the at least one network usage parameter further comprises anetwork condition.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least onenetwork usage parameter further comprises a priority level assigned tothe user device.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least onenetwork usage parameter further comprises a priority level assigned tothe audio transmission request.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising receiving a first message from a network server, wherein thefirst message determines the media bundling factor.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising receiving a second message from the userdevice, wherein the second message determines the media bundling factor.10. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking at least oneserver factor corresponding to the communication server, and wherein themedia bundling factor is further determined based on considering acombination of the at least one network usage parameter, the userdevice-specific bundling factor, and the at least one server factor. 11.The method of claim 1, wherein user device factor comprises a quality ofservice of a subscription or a quality of service assigned to thecommunication.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein user device factorcomprises at least one of a computing power or a memory size.
 13. Acommunication server capable of determining a media bundling factor foradaptively bundling media frames in a data packet transmitted betweenthe communication server and a user device during a communication in adata communication network, wherein the communication server, uponreceiving an audio transmission request over a data channel from theuser device, checks at least one network usage parameter from the datacommunication network, wherein the at least one network usage parametercomprises a measured packet delay variation of data packets transmittedbetween the communication server and the user device; checks a userprofile of the user device for a user device-specific bundling factorcorresponding to a user device factor that defines an internal operatingcondition or a user-specific characteristic corresponding to the userdevice, wherein the user device-specific bundling factor is respectivelyset according to the internal operating condition or the user-specificcharacteristic corresponding to the user device; determines a mediabundling factor for a communication channel according to the at leastone network usage parameter when there is no user device-specificbundling factor or according to the user device-specific bundlingfactor, wherein the media bundling factor specifies a number of themedia frames in one data packet on the communication channel; andtransmits via the data channel the media bundling factor along with acontrol message to the user device such that the user device canadaptively bundles media frames according to the media bundling factor.14. The communication server of claim 13, wherein the communicationserver further receives a first message from a network server, whereinthe first message determines the media bundling factor.
 15. Thecommunication server of claim 13, wherein the communication serverfurther receives a second message from the user device, wherein thesecond message determines the media bundling factor.
 16. Thecommunication server of claim 13, wherein the communication serverfurther checks at least one server factor corresponding to thecommunication server, and wherein the media bundling factor is furtherdetermined based on considering a combination of the at least onenetwork usage parameter, the user device-specific bundling factor, andthe at least one server factor.
 17. The user device of claim 13, whereinuser device factor comprises a quality of service of a subscription or aquality of service assigned to the communication.
 18. The user device ofclaim 13, wherein user device factor comprises at least one of acomputing power or a memory size.
 19. A non transitory computer-readablemedium on which is stored a computer program for determining a mediabundling factor for adaptively bundling media frames in a data packettransmitted between a communication server and a user device during acommunication in a data communication network, the computer programcomprising computer instructions that when executed by a communicationserver performs the steps of: receiving via a data channel at thecommunication server an audio transmission request from the user device;checking at least one network usage parameter from the datacommunication network, wherein the at least one network usage parametercomprises a measured packet delay variation of data packets transmittedbetween the communication server and the user device; checking a userprofile of the user device for a user device-specific bundling factorcorresponding to a user device factor that defines an internal operatingcondition or a user-specific characteristic corresponding to the userdevice, wherein the user device-specific bundling factor is respectivelyset according to the internal operating condition or the user-specificcharacteristic corresponding to the user device; determining a mediabundling factor for a communication channel according to the at leastone network usage parameter when there is no user device-specificbundling factor or according to the user device-specific bundlingfactor, wherein the media bundling factor specifies a number of themedia frames in one data packet; and transmitting over the data channelfrom the communication server the media bundling factor along with acontrol message to the user device, wherein the user device canadaptively bundle media frames on the communication channel according tothe media bundling factor.
 20. The non transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 19, further comprising instructions executable forchecking at least one server factor corresponding to the communicationserver, and for determining the media bundling factor based onconsidering a combination of the at least one network usage parameter,the user device-specific bundling factor, and the at least one serverfactor.
 21. The non transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19,wherein user device factor comprises a quality of service of asubscription or a quality of service assigned to the communication. 22.A communication server capable of determining a media bundling factorfor adaptively bundling media frames in a data packet transmittedbetween the communication server and a user device during acommunication in a data communication network, the communication servercomprising: means for checking at least one network usage parameter fromthe data communication network, wherein the at least one network usageparameter comprises a measured packet delay variation of data packetstransmitted between the communication server and the user device; meansfor checking a user profile of the user device for a userdevice-specific bundling factor corresponding to a user device factorthat defines an internal operating condition or a user-specificcharacteristic corresponding to the user device, wherein the userdevice-specific bundling factor is respectively set according to theinternal operating condition or the user-specific characteristiccorresponding to the user device; means for determining a media bundlingfactor according to the at least one network usage parameter when thereis no user device-specific bundling factor or according to the userdevice-specific bundling factor, wherein the media bundling factorspecifies a number of the media frames in one data packet; and means fortransmitting over a data channel the media bundling factor along with acontrol message to the user device such that the user device canadaptively bundle media frames over a communication channel according tothe media bundling factor.
 23. The communication server of claim 22,further comprising means for receiving a first message from a networkserver, wherein the first message determines the media bundling factor.24. The communication server of claim 22, further comprising means forreceiving a second message from the user device, wherein the secondmessage determines the media bundling factor.